Precious Memories
by Yamadori
Summary: Blue Dragon Anime. A collection of oneshots for Shu and Kluke. Sixth oneshot/chapter is up!
1. Eve of the Harvest

**Hi, thanks for taking a peek at my story. This is a collection of one-shots about Shu and Kluke, some romantic and some not. Some may even have more than one chapter, though I'll probably make it into another story if it gets too big. I have a few ideas, but more are always appreciated. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. See you at the end of this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Blue Dragon (though I have a copy of the game). But I think Bouquet would like rights to Shu. ;)**

**Note: Kluke and Shu are seven in this one. Kyoya and his gang are a few years older, their ages varying.**

1. Eve of The Harvest

"Every year, on the thirty-first day of the tenth month, they say that ghosts come to haunt the village. Some even say that they're the spirits of the dead people from the Zakian War, come to steal the harvest to be celebrated the next day. But sometimes, instead of just taking the pumpkins, they decide to take the children instead!" Kyoya turned on the flashlight suddenly, making scary faces.

Of course, Kluke screamed bloody murder.

"Knock it off, Kyoya! That isn't funny. You know she hates that stuff." Shu stood up. It hadn't seemed that scary to him, but he knew that Kluke was always afraid of the least mention of ghosts.

Kluke was all out sobbing by now, not entirely aware of everything around her.

"And here this comes from the mute kid." Kyoya smirked as Shu growled. "Oh, I'm sorry, _used to be_ mute kid. Whatever. I'll do what I want, and there's nothing you can do to stop me, shrimp." he used his finger to flick the smaller boy's forehead.

Shu cried out, grabbing his head and scrunching his eyes shut. He heard the older boys laugh, probably because they could see him tearing up through his closed eyes. Why did something so small have to hurt so much?

"One day..." the dark tone in Shu's voice made the boys stop. "One day, you'll all be sorry. Something awful will happen to you, and you'll regret ever picking on all of the younger kids."

Kyoya blinked at him, then started laughing. "You sound like you pulled that line straight from Toyodeh! What a little dork!" Quickly, before Shu had a chance to react, Kyoya shoved him to the ground hard.

Shu cursed under his breath as they walked off laughing.

Kluke, sniffling, edged over to him. "Shu... are, are you alright?" she hiccuped. When Kluke was a toddler, she always had the habit of saying the first word of her sentence twice. She was growing out of it, but it still happened sometimes. Like now.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He pulled his sleeve down a little, trying to hide the cut he'd gotten from trying to break his fall.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. What about you?"

"... Yeah. I'm okay."

Shu stood up, brushing himself off, still taking care to conceal his injured hand. He offered his good hand to Kluke. "Come on, let's go. Grandpa's probably worried sick."

* * *

"You know, Kluke, you can't let those guys get to you." Shu stood on a small step ladder in front of the kitchen counter, rolling out pie dough.

When they'd gotten back, he'd found out that hiding his injured hand from Fushira wasn't as easy as hiding it from Kluke. His hand still burned from being bandaged, and rolling the dough wasn't helping anything.

Kluke sat in a wooden chair nearby, her bare feet planted on the seat, resting her head on arms folded over her knees. "Shu... Do you think what they said is true? About ghosts coming to Talta and stealing children?"

"Kluke, we've been living here for seven years and never seen one ghost."

"But, but what if they just didn't come those seven years? What if they took a break or something?"

"You're being ridiculous. Kyoya is just a bully who loves tormenting anyone who's smaller than him for his own amusement." Shu accented each of his words with a hard roll of the pin. How dare that jerk scare Kluke like this?

"I know, but... what if he's right this time?"

Shu stopped rolling, turning to look at her. "Kluke, I want you to listen to me." He continued when she lifted her head slightly. "I don't know if there's even such a thing as ghosts. But if there is, you have my word that I'd never let them take you."

"You promise?"

He smiled. "I promise." He went back to the dough. "Now, cheer up. Tomorrow's Pumpkin Day, and I'm not going to let Kyoya ruin it for either of us."

Kluke smiled as Shu started to hum one of the ancient language songs that Toyodeh would always sing.

"...Thank you, Shu."

**Well, there's a hopefully cute one-shot about Kluke and Shu, inspired by Halloween. I find that writing about these two is easier when they're kids. I've been a big fan of Shu x Bouquet since episode six of the anime. Still, there's a bond between Shu and Kluke that can't be ignored. Shu's feelings towards Kluke seem to be more romantic in the anime than the game, if he has any romantic feelings for her (or anyone else) at all in the game. I haven't seen the ending, though, so there may be some horribly romantic thing that happens between them at the end and I have no idea. Moving along, though, I thought this one turned out quite well. I think the other one that I wrote, "Birthday", turned out much better, though. I actually wrote the other one first, but I haven't yet uploaded it to the site. It should be up soon, though. And before I go, I'd like to mention that it was a pain to get this uploaded. It was my first time uploading, and it took me half an hour just to finish editing the darn thing. Well, I'll stop taking up your time. Please review and let me know what you think.**


	2. Birthday

**Okay, here's the second part. Sorry it took me a few days, but I wanted to make sure someone had actually read the first one-shot before I uploaded the second one. While there were some hits to the story, I was waiting for a review, mostly to make sure that after everyone had clicked on it that they hadn't run away screaming. I got this idea from other authors, and I liked it, so I'd like to take a quick moment to reply to the dear people who reviewed last chapter:**

**karen1011:**Thanks! Aren't Shu and Kluke just adorable when they're kids? :) This one-shot (Birthday) doesn't have the same atmosphere as the other one, but I hope you still like it. And I'm still looking forward to seeing the rest of your Blue Dragon story.

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman: **Thank you. I felt bad for Kluke, too. It seemed like a fitting role reversal for Shu and Kluke; she's not always that confident, but who's to say she's always been as confident as we've seen her? Besides, in the scene from Episode 3 in Season 1, the young Kluke seemed much more docile than the older one. I'm glad you liked _Blue Dragon Beyond_ so much; I'll have to update extra soon just for you. ;) Isn't it amazing how I still had a long reply even though your review was shorter than the other ones you wrote for my stories? I'm giving up on making them shorter; if people don't want to read 'em, they'll have to skip over them. :P Thanks for your review, though; always nice to hear from you (and I'm looking forward to the translations of Season 2).

**This one is more "angst-y" than the other one, but I like the way that it turned out. It's the only first-person story I've written that I liked. And I hope that **_**you**_** (the reader) likes it too.**

**Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the Blue Dragon series, nor do I claim to. You honestly think I could make something this good?**

**Note: This one takes place between season one and two, a few months before the second season. The first half is Shu's POV, and the second half is Kluke's, but that disregards the flashbacks which are in italics. The kind-of-OC character, Lena, is part of the Resistance; I'll explain more about her in another story, since this collection is about Kluke and Shu. And "taii" (pronounce tie-ee) means captain.**

2. Birthday

Do you remember, Kluke? Do you remember our birthday?

_An over-joyed, seven-year-old Shu jumped from toe to toe. It was his birthday, which meant that his friends (though most were younger than him) had gotten him presents, and his grandfather had made a delicious cake. But, best of all, he got to share his birth date with his best friend._

_Everyone had just sung "Happy Birthday" for the two, and were now waiting for them to blow out the candles._

"_We'll do it on three, 'kay?" she smiled at him._

_Shu looked over it at her. The lights in the room were off, so the candles gave her face and hair a yellowish glow. He nodded his agreement._

"_Alright. One... two... three!"_

_The two of them blew as hard as they could, extinguishing the small flames._

_Everyone clapped, the lights going back on. "Happy birthday, Kluke! Happy birthday, Shu!" Kluke's name was always said first, since she was born about two minutes before Shu._

_The two children hugged, saying "happy birthday" to each other, separating with a smile._

_Fushira came over to the table with a knife, cutting a gracious amount of cake. _

_As they did every year, the two broke off mouthfuls of cake with their forks, then fed it to each other._

_Kluke giggled at some of the frosting on Shu's mouth, making him laugh as well._

_Like every year, it was one of happiest days of his life._

I pushed the cake on my plate around with a fork. Yellow cake with purple frosting, decorated with frosting flowers. I remember when Kluke saw a cake like this while we were traveling; she said she wanted to have one like that for our eleventh birthday. I often wonder if she did. Yellow cake was always Kluke's favorite.

"Taii, you've barely touched your cake, let alone eat it." Lena looked over my shoulder with concern.

"Oh... I didn't realize." A lie. The truth is that it's the only thing I can think about. How can I eat cake when she isn't here to share it with? I wonder, is she as miserable as I am? Or does she just sit and enjoy some half burned, half uncooked cake she made, sharing the first bite with Andropov instead of me?

"Well, try to eat some of it, at least. It is your birthday, after all." she releases the top of the chair, walking away.

My birthday. My twelfth birthday. My second birthday without Kluke, and just as sad as the one before.

* * *

"Happy birthday, Kurukku-sensei!" The kids just finished singing "Happy Birthday".

"Happy birthday, Kluke!" Andropov and some of the villagers clap.

I wait for it expectantly, even though I know it won't come. No one else knows what comes next but me. When it doesn't happen, the hole in my heart feels even emptier than it did before.

"Go ahead and blow out the candles, Sensei!" Marie hops up and down.

"We'll do it on three, 'kay?" I whisper to myself, trying to hold back the tears that burn my eyes. I take in a deep breath and blow, blowing harder than the year before last to make up for the missing pair of lungs. Everyone claps again.

Andropov cuts the cake, not as generous as the ones that Fushira used to cut. Jiichan used to cut for two, though.

The cake is a yellow cake with purple frosting and frosting flowers, just like the cake I saw while we were traveling. I was supposed to have it with Shu for my eleventh birthday. Since he wasn't there, I couldn't bear to have it. I decided to have it this year, since I didn't know if I'd get another chance where I'd be brave enough to have it without him. Now I wish I hadn't.

The cake I had for my eleventh birthday was yellow, too. Yellow cake has always been my favorite.

I break off some cake with my fork. It hovers in the air for a moment, waiting for him to take it. He isn't there, though. I push it into my mouth. It's delicious, but it's the worst birthday cake I've ever had.

The slices are passed around, and everyone is enjoying them. They're all happy, really happy. Everyone except me.

I fiddle with my slice, pushing it around on my plate. Andropov asks me if I'm alright; I tell him I am, even though I'm not.

Next year... My thirteenth birthday. Our thirteenth birthday. I want to have my birthday with you again.

I want to talk with you again, laugh with you again. I want to spend time with you again.

I want you to be mine again. My friend, my brother, my crush. I don't know what I want you to be, but I want to have you back. I want to take you back from Bouquet, from Zola, from Blue Dragon, from fighting.

Do you remember, Shu? Do you remember our birthday?

**Well, that's the second installment. I think I already mentioned this, but I wrote this before the other one. I just had to copy it from my notebook... **

**Anyway, this melancholy little thing was sort of a response to Tenkai. I like season two, probably more than the first one, but I miss Kluke. I know for a fact that I share this sentiment with many who have seen the new season. I like the game version Kluke the most (she's great, it's little wonder why Jiro's in love with her), but in the anime, I like her more in season one than two. I still like her all-around, though. :D **

**Also, the line below needed all the words to be capital for accent, but is not supposed to be a flame:**

**THIS FIC IS NOT BASHING ANY CHARACTERS.**

**I thought I should put that, since some of the things said seemed a little anti-Andropov. I always liked Andropov; I thought we could trust him the moment I saw him fight Shu. Not that fighting Shu is a good thing, but it seemed obvious how he was more of a kid than the other members of Rogi's squad, so it was likely he could sympathize more with the Shu-tachi. And this story wasn't meant to bash Bouquet, Zola, or Blue Dragon. Bouquet's my favorite female character, Zola is (I think) awesome and **_**not **_**evil. And why watch a show called Blue Dragon if you don't like the title character? Even if he should be nicer to Shu sometimes (I'm looking at you, Blue Dragon). **

**So, let me know what you think. I'm really unsure of where to go with this collection from here, so advice would be much appreciated.**


	3. Waterside

**Sheesh, it took me so long to write this. I actually thought of the idea when I went to sleep last night; that's how long it took me. It only took me a few minutes to write. Anyway, let's do the review replies:**

**WindGoddess Rune:** Thanks... Unless, you meant "that's really sad" in a negative way. In that case, I'm sorry. This chapter isn't as sad as the last one, but still not as happy as the first one; it's somewhere in between. Hope you like it, though.

**SoujaGirl: **Hey, you changed your pen name! I'm used to your other one, but this one's okay. :) I'm glad you liked it. I saw your new poll; I'm not really sure, but could this be a hint at an upcoming update? ;)

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman: **Yeah, I know... Really? I'll have to be more careful about how I write the chapters for _Blue Dragon Beyond_. *insert sweat drop here* This idea came to me all of a sudden last night, but I am thinking about having an interaction between Kluke and Jiro about Shu (thanks for the hint). It will probably be next chapter, but it will likely be shorter than my usual chapter size. Thinking about it, I might do a parallel interaction between Shu and Zola about Kluke... Thank you for giving me that little plot idea. No, I don't have a livejournal account, and I wasn't planning to. Besides a YouTube account, becoming a member at this site was the biggest online thing I'd ever done. There is a Blue Dragon forum that opened though, and I'm considering joining it. But if you have an account or know someone that does, feel free to give them the link to my profile/stories.

**Okay there are the replies. Oh, and the title is based on the infamous Blue Dragon song by Nobuo Uematsu. I guess we'll get down to the story now...**

**Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. Blue. Dragon.**

**Note: Shu and Kluke are nine in this story; it takes place almost exactly a year before the first episode of the anime.**

**Note #2: Tsubasa, Taichi and Hibiki are the three friends that are seen with Shu in Talta. From smallest to biggest, they are Hibiki, Tsubasa and Taichi.**

3. Waterside

"Come on, Shu! You're never going to win like that!"

He had been training. Day after day, morning to night, he had trained.

Everyone thought it was strange. He had always liked water, but... After almost drowning, why would someone want to compete in a swimming race? No one supported him.

No one except her.

"Faster! Kick your legs out!"

Sometimes her "cheering" bothered him. But she was the only one who would, so he didn't mind that much.

Tsubasa, Taichi and Hibiki weren't against him at least; they were just worried. He didn't like pity, but it would hurt worse if _they _hated him, too. Fushira didn't hate him, either, but he did disapprove.

"If I was in this competition, I'd be swimming circles around you!"

When it came to this, she preferred the "tough love" approach. Her opinion was that if he wanted to do this so badly, then he needed to be motivated properly.

"Stop being so lazy and _work_ for a change!"

She couldn't have liked him doing it. Ever since the incident, she'd been terrified of him doing so much as taking a bath. So the fact that she would help him meant the world to him.

* * *

"Aniki, should you really do this?" Hibiki was clinging to Tsubasa, his voice shaky.

"Yeah."

"But why?"

"I need to."

"He'll be fine," Kluke intervened. She turned to Shu. "You should get to the river's edge. Everyone's starting to line up."

He nodded. "Okay." He turned to go. "... And Kluke?"

"Yes?"

"...Thank you."

She smiled. "No problem."

* * *

He sighed, trying to let his whole body relax. He let himself experience all of his senses.

His mouth tasted dry. He could smell the plants and soil; the smell of the earth. He could hear birds, far off in the forest. He could feel the grass underneath his bare feet, warm from the sun. He could see the water ahead of him, a friend and an enemy.

From the time he was small, his mother had taught him that the water was not something to be feared; most of his body was made of water anyway, so there was no reason to be afraid of it.

Once he was big enough, he had started swimming, and he'd never stopped; the water had become part of his soul.

And then... there had been the incident. It could never take away the bond he had with water, but he hadn't gone into it until now. The incident... it had been such a shock.

But he wasn't going to let that stop him now.

To his left and his right, there were kids lined up going down the bank. Most were from Talta, but there were some foreigners who had come just for the race.

He untied his waistcloth, then carefully wrapped the sash around his forehead, feeling the fabric tickle his bare back; whenever his grandfather had a particularly difficult project to work on, he would do this with his own waistcloth. It was almost like a tradition.

"On your marks..."

He set his feet.

"...get set..."

He touched down on the ground.

"...go!"

He leapt into the water, his form more perfect then any child in the lines to his sides.

"Do your best, Shu!"

He could hear her voice, loud and true. He was spurred on, knowing that someone believed him.

He had been training. For a long time, he had trained long and hard. And she'd been with him each step of the way.

**Okay, there's the third oneshot. Again, sorry it took me so long. By the way, Shu won the race. Though you can pretend he didn't if you prefer it that way. ;) Anyway, I'll probably write about the "incident" at a later time; the incident takes place about two months before the first oneshot, _Eve of the Harvest_. Oh, and if you review, _please_ tell me if I should move this story and _Troubles on White Day _to the Anime category for Blue Dragon. I'm going to put this note in the next chapter of _Troubles on White Day_, too. Please tell me, because I'm not sure what to do about that. Anyway, I hope you liked it. As long as I don't get any more writers' block, the next oneshot should be up fairly soon after this one gets 10 hits. See you then!**


	4. One More Talk

**Wow, I updated **_**Shu and Kluke: Precious Memories**_**! It must be a miracle! ;D Anyway... Well, there are several things that I should probably mention, but I think most of it will be covered in the review replies. my note after the replies, and my note at the bottom of the story. So... Let's do the replies now! :D**

**WindGoddess Rune:** Oh, I know - well, I was pretty sure, anyway. I just wanted to make sure, since, you know... When you have things written, you can never convey things that you would with your voice. Because of that, I'm constantly worried about what people really mean. And saying that it was "negative" was probably to strong of a way to put it. Anyway, thanks - glad you like it. :)

**SoujaGirl:** Yep! :D Unfortunately, this one isn't quite as happy. But, if everything goes the way I want it to, the fifth oneshot should be fairly cute. ;)

**Now, they didn't review last chapter, but there are two people I would like to give a quick-ish message to:**

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman and Kat95:** Since I'm telling both of you practically the same thing, I just put this in the same thing. Okay... I'm sorry - I tried to work Jiro and Zola in, but my attempts have turned up little more than mush. :( I'm going to try and come up with a new idea, different than the one that I originally had, but I'm starting to doubt being able to fit them into _Shu and Kluke: Precious Memories _in anything other than a slight mention. However, I'm seriously considering making a small story or oneshot about how Jiro met Zola. I've had that idea for a while, so it's very likely that I'll do it. Still, I'm sorry about not being able to get them into this story.

**Replies (and message) done! The message was a little bit longer than I had originally intended, but you all know by now that my messages are almost never short. ;) Anyway... That's all that I really needed to mention. There are some ****slight spoilers up to Episode 43****, so be a bit wary. Oh, I remember two things I did want to mention. One, I know I had mentioned this a while back, but you guys can disregard my asking about whether I should move this to the anime section or not. Everyone who writes for the Pokemon anime puts their stories in the game section for Pokemon, so I'm just going to treat Blue Dragon stories like that. Two, the disclaimer has been discontinued in all of my stories, except for new stories and oneshots. With that, after the title, we can get on to the story! :)**

4. One More Talk

Kluke was pacing the carpet so much that her hair was starting to stand up. But she couldn't help it; she felt nervous. Well... nervous was the wrong word. Though she was worried about several things in the back of her mind, it wasn't the emotion at the forefront. Anxious, maybe.

After everything that had happened to her recently, seeing Shu inside the room with the Mast Driver had been an immense relief, a weight lifted off of her shoulders. Shu and this place together... It reminded her of when they had been in Blue Dragon's ruins two years ago. Maybe it was the lighting, or maybe it was just the way he smiled when he saw her. But it was familiar. Painfully familiar.

They were going to meet with Primula and Dr. Tarkovsky in a few moments, though she wasn't sure how long exactly. In fact, she hadn't seemed to be keeping track of time at all; the seconds and minutes and hours just seemed to pull her along. She just wished everything would slow down.

Everything had been slow in the mountains, as she watched and taught the children, looked after Andropov. It was a simple life, but that's all she ever wanted anymore. She wished there had been more machines in the mountains - the only ones she ever got to use were medical devices - but it had been fine. And now, even that was taken from her, by Rosenkreuz. Maybe when Shu had tried to get her to join the Resistance, it had been a warning of what was to come. She hadn't listened, and now her new home had been destroyed.

But this was all something to think about at another time - these were the things in the back of her mind. The thing that was bugging her _right now_ was that Shu wanted to talk to her.

He hadn't said what it was about. He said that it was important. He'd told her to wait for him. So that's what she had done. But it wasn't like it was easy.

The two of them had talked after they'd made it to that village, after Rudolf petrified Michael. It had been a good talk, too. But they'd almost been forced into it (Kluke still suspected that Bouquet had done something). And his voice hadn't been as urgent as it was now. What could he want to talk about, that was so-

The door opened. Shu walked in quietly - she heard Marumaro bothering Noi outside - and then he closed the door, sealing the two of them off from everyone else. Like it had been a long two years ago, it was just the two of them.

"Hi, Shu." It wasn't the best thing she'd come up with to say, but she couldn't really think of anything else.

"Hey, Kluke." That wasn't the best thing he'd said either, but at least she knew now that they were on the same page. He sat down on the couch in the makeshift waiting room, and she followed suit, sitting next to him.

She fiddled with her skirt. "So... What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I... I need to tell you something." his voice was filled with conviction.

"Shu," she swallowed past a lump in her throat that wasn't there a few seconds ago. "Did you kill someone?" She didn't know why she asked him so bluntly - it was just one of those things that come out of your mouth before you really think about it. But despite their time apart, she still knew him well, and that was the only thing she could think of that would upset him in this particular way.

"You already know that I killed someone. And you already know who it was that I killed." Oh yes, she knew. She knew very well. It had been two years, but it hadn't changed what had happened. If you could even call it murder; she'd never been able to tell. Still, it was all of their responsibilities', even if Shu continued to blame himself alone for it.

"Then what is it?"

"I fought with Ojiichan." he said it so quickly, he almost stuttered.

"What?" she looked at him incredulously.

"You heard me." he sounded annoyed, but it was only a poor cover for the way his voice trembled. "We fought."

"...When?"

"Two years ago. Right after the battle of darkness. I was stupid enough to try to go home."

Kluke shook her head. "It's not stupid. I wish I could've gone home. If I hadn't been taking care of the wounded, I would have."

That was when he surprised her, taking her hand and smiling wistfully, holding it like it was glass. "You've always been so caring. You've always wanted to help people, and you always found a way to. You aren't like me," the smile dropped along with his voice. "Everyone around you doesn't die."

"Shu, we've talked about this. All of those people-"

"Forget it," his voice was tight. "Let me finish. I... I went back to Talta. But I was a day too late."

Now she was scared. "What do you mean?"

"Calm down. Last time I was there, everyone was mostly okay. But the Rosenkreuz soldiers had come through, warning everyone that soon they would bend to Rogi's will. Toyodeh got angry with them, and one of the soldiers hit her."

Kluke's expression was one of complete horror. Toyodeh... She was an elder. She was one of the ones who guided them. No one would even think of talking back to her, lest they wanted to feel her cane on their back. "I-is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine now. But... I got angry. I didn't want the same thing to happen to our village again. And it worked out anyway, since after the battle of darkness..." Something flickered in his eyes for a moment, and he wasn't himself. As quickly as it had come, it was gone, and he returned to what he was saying, "... I needed something to keep my mind busy."

She narrowed her eyes. "And of course, this came in the form of fighting."

"It's better me than some other, younger kid. But that's where the fight started. It..." he sighed. "It was bad. I won't go into it. He didn't disown me or anything. But he made it clear that he wouldn't welcome me if I came back. Not for a long while, anyway."

She gripped his hand. "When all of this is over, I'll go and talk to him. I'll fix it."

Shu smiled at her again, even sadder than before. A kind of sad understanding. "I don't think it'll matter by then."

"What are you saying?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Come on," he stood. "We should go see if Primula's ready yet."

And then they were back outside again. A few minutes of talking with Bouquet, Marumaro and Noi, and he was back to himself. Not the _real_ him. Just the ghost of himself, the one that she'd seen ever since he fought with Zola. It was ironic, really - rather than a ghost, he was more like a shadow.

But maybe that was what the point was - he had braved the storm, and come out as something greater.

**Well, that's it. I don't really know what to think of it. It's very... unusual. Angst-y, confusing... my typical gibberish. ;) I know I probably left everyone with a bunch of questions, so feel free to ask in a message and/or review. Oh, and please review anyway. :) This seemed more weird to me than the other ones that I've written, so I'm unsure of how good it was. I will **_**try**_** to update this after 10 hits, but as many of you know, **_**Shu and Kluke: Precious Memories**_** has been moving slower than a snail. Thanks for reading, though! :D**


	5. Together

**At long last, the fifth oneshot of **_**Shu and Kluke: Precious Memories**_** is finally here! :D I'm sorry that I'm late - I'm not sure if anyone knew, but I had been planning on uploading this oneshot/chapter on the 16th. However, the last two days have been absolutely **_**insane**_** for me, and I've barely had time at my computer, if any. So... Wow. Today is exactly **_**four months**_** since the last update. :O Man, I have to find a way to write faster... Anyway, that brings up another point. Two days ago marked me being a member of the site for half a year. I can't believe it's been that long already. XD I feel that I've made some really bad blunders since I joined... But, I'm still glad that I did. :) I've had the opportunity to "meet" (not sure if that's the proper way to phrase that...) some really incredible and amazing writers while I've been here, and slowly watch the fan fiction archive of Blue Dragon go from five stories to seventy-nine (that's including crossovers). I've hoped that I encouraged some people to start writing stories of their own... I don't know if that's what I did, and it's certainly not my right to say if I did or not. But, if I haven't yet, it's still my hope that I will in the future, and will be able to help any new writers that come along; this category has been graced by some excellent stories, and I can only imagine how it will continue to grow as time goes on. :) Anyway, now that I've bored you with my sentimental rambling... XD Time for the review replies! ;D**

**WindGoddess Rune:** Ah, well... I don't know how bad it was _exactly_... Not least of all because I kind of forgot some parts of the fight (it's been a little too long, I guess). *sweatdrops* But I didn't go into detail on purpose - I kind of wanted it to be something that the readers formulated in their own minds, and let them decide how bad it was. Still, I will say that Fushira never explicitly said that - that was just the strong impression that Shu got. And, in Fushira's defense, Shu did say some things that weren't exactly kind. But... Shu and Fushira made up in _Homecoming_, so in the end, I suppose that's what matters. :)

**motorcycle demon:** It is. :D R-really? Wow... I never would've thought that about this one, but thank you! :D

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Yeah... It's close to the least favorite things I've ever worked on (though that place is still held by _A Strange Occurrence_). It is? Thank you. :) A-alright... Really? Thanks; I'm glad to hear it. :D Ah, that's good... But since this was last updated, all of my stories have been moving very slowly. *sad sigh* Yes. ;.; I know - I freaked out, too. I was, just a little bit, happy that they were worried about each other, since it seemed to hint at that possible-relationship that had its wings nearly clipped by the "Andropov-relationship-plot-twist bomb" (I'm still trying to find a shorter name for that, but I've come up with nothing so far). I'm not saying that I don't like Andropov, of course - I like him, and I even like his relationship with Kluke - but I thought it was cruel of the writers to lead on Jiro x Kluke fans with hints throughout most of the first season, and then have all of those hints practically vanish. But, I digress, as I often do... (Besides, I forgot, but I think I might've said all of that before. XP) Ah, speaking of Delphinium... It might just be me, but I thought that their exchanges in that episode might be hinting at something between those two (maybe a crush from Jiro, or even just a mutual friendship). Well... I thought about that possibly hinted connection for a split second - things happened so rapidly in that episode, for me, there was hardly any time to think about anything but what was happening next. But afterwards, it certainly got me thinking about some oneshots and/or drabbles centering on those two. XD Oh... Um, if you don't mind me asking, how is the translating going? There's no rush, though - you've been going through a lot lately, and I don't mind waiting however long it takes. :) By the way, though, I did see some Chinese subtitles last time I checked that website. Also, I'm considering seeing how far I can translate the episode, since my Japanese has improved a tiny bit since that episode aired.

**And review replies are done! :D I would like to give a big thank you to all who reviewed that oneshot, because I honestly didn't think it would get any reviews at all. So... Thank you; it means a lot to me. :) And one more notice that I would like to give out:**

**I would like to congratulate and thank Kasumi (Kusanagi) and An (Prince of Tennis' Shaman) on uploading the 76th and 77th non-crossover stories respectively - that caused the Blue Dragon category to go into it's fourth page! *cheers loudly for an undetermined amount of time* I promise that as soon as I upload this, as long as nothing interrupts me, I'll be heading over there to check them out (and review)! :D**

**So, now that most of my little notes are out of the way, I'll finally start talking a little about this next oneshot. This one is kind of an alternate episode 8 of Tenkai no Shichi Ryuu: Shu has Noi stay and watch Marumaro and Bouquet, instead of Noi sneaking away without anyone telling him anything and going to find Kluke; Shu gets hungry and stops in the town instead of going straight to Kluke's house; Kluke still goes into town, but this time it's to go grocery shopping. A lot of things in this oneshot give allusions to what Shu and Kluke are thinking and feeling, but does not always explain (a little similar to the last oneshot, but on a bigger level). I'm kind of leaving that to you, dear readers. ;) Also, this oneshot will have more Shu x Kluke than the previous ones; while I had a difficult time writing it (I'll talk about that at the end of the chapter), I thought it was about time. Well, I think that's all I need to mention for now... So, without further ado, here is the fifth oneshot/chapter! :D**

5. Together

Kluke shifted the paper bag in her arms; she'd bought a pound too many of flour, and for her arms' sake, she was eager to get back to her motorbike.

It was odd, really; she'd been sure that the cupboards at home had been full, but when she checked them that morning, it had been obvious that she needed to buy a few things.

She need to hurry for another reason besides her aching limbs. It would only be in an hour's time before she was supposed to watch the children, and she still had to search for craft supplies-

She gasped as her boot caught on a cobblestone, barely keeping herself from falling over. She sighed, relieved that the groceries were okay. She moved to stand and-

Kluke felt a similar presence, one she hadn't felt for a long time. About a year or so.

She turned, and there he was. He hadn't noticed her, or he pretended not to. He was leaning over a stall bin filled with fruit, sorting meticulously through almost all of them. He'd always been so particular when it came to fruit.

She quietly watched him for a moment, and then she was sure that he remained unaware of her presence. She felt tears sting her eyes - it was so much like him, that he would be so completely ignorant of his surroundings, that it made her realize how much she'd missed him.

He made his purchase, and turned to leave in the opposite direction of her (still unaware of her being there). Before he got too far, she spoke his name. "Shu."

She smiled softly as she saw his shoulder blades jerk upwards with surprise. He spun around, a look of complete stun on his face, then brightened like a candle as he saw her. "Kluke!"

* * *

Kluke turned her teacup around on its plate, staring at her reflection on the liquid's surface. The turning was an old habit.

She was sitting at a table of an outdoor café; coming here had brought back a lot of memories of Jibral. It hadn't been easy, coming here, because of those memories. But... Shu had wanted to take her to lunch, to do something for her, and she wasn't going to object to that.

Her peaceful reverie broke as a sound pierced the air, like an uncountable number of tiny bells falling on the ground. She snapped her head to the right, the direction that the sound seemed to be coming from, but relaxed after she saw the cause.

Shu stood, hand on the back of his head, his feet surrounded by gold coins; he was rapidly apologizing to the waiter for dropping the money.

Kluke couldn't help but giggle. It was nice to have her Shu back.

After a few minutes, he plopped into the chair across from her, exhaling loudly. "Well, that's finally taken care of! Sorry for the wait." He was still catching his breath.

"Don't worry about it," she shook her head, smiling. "How have you been?"

"Oh, I'm doing fine..." He looked down and started to fiddle with his wristband. As if he were retreating back inside himself.

She pushed some hair behind her ear. She hated it when they started to act like this towards each other. When he saw her in the market, and he brightened so suddenly, she had been encouraged - she thought that had meant they could act normally around each other again. But, apparently, the awkwardness remained. "That's good." she said quietly.

He nodded. "And how are you?"

She almost said she was doing well, or some such, but she cut herself off before she started. She was tired of talking to him like this. She remembered something Toyodeh had once told her - sometimes when you wish to change things, _you_ must be the one to take the first step. "I'm annoyed." She actually spoke matter-of-factly.

Shu's eyes widened slightly; she had taken him by surprise. "You're what?"

"I'm annoyed," she repeated. "I'm annoyed that we keep talking with each other like we've barely met, rather than knowing each other since we were one and a half."

He stared at her for a moment, then sighed, his shoulders relaxing. "I'm sorry. It's just... I don't want to say the wrong thing to you."

Kluke furrowed her eyebrows. "Why would you say the wrong thing to me?"

He adverted his eyes momentarily. "Well... You're different now, Kluke. You've changed."

"You've changed, too." she replied almost automatically. She was hit with a sudden moment of clarity.

He had changed... No longer was he the young boy who she watched with a careful and worried eye. He was, still, a boy, but now a boy very slowly becoming a man; he still has much time to be young, but she can see him steadily changing. Her Shu has been growing up while she was away, and she has to admit that it scares her a little. He isn't even shorter than her anymore, and that might be the biggest shock of all. _I still have time to grow again,_ she thinks with a little hope. She knows it's a silly thought, but she wants to take care of him as long as she can (and if she were trying to take care of him, it wouldn't seem quite right if he were taller than her).

He blinked in surprise. "I didn't think you would notice."

"Why wouldn't I notice?" Her eyebrows furrowed even more, clearly showing her irritation. What was she missing here? Had he really changed that much, that she couldn't tell what he was thinking anymore?

His eyes turned sad, as if he pitied her for something she couldn't see. "Well... We've probably just been away from each other for too long." Even as he said it, she didn't believe his excuse.

Regardless, she leaned back in her chair and said, "I guess that's true." She would wait for the opportunity to change things, but it was just a little soon right now.

Shu's chest tightened as he wondered, _How long, Kluke? How long will I only be a little kid to you? How long will it take for you to see that _I'm_ the one who depends on _you_? And... How long will it take for you to see how I feel?_

* * *

As their small meal started to come to a close, Shu began regretting his decision to come here in the first place. Kluke was probably living a happy and peaceful life without him around; it probably wasn't until he showed up (again) that she had become unnerved. _If I left... If I didn't tell her about Noi and his power to revive Shadows... She would be so much happier..._

When he realized that he'd become caught up with his thoughts, he snapped his head up in a panic. But there seemed to be no hurry - Kluke appeared to be just as lost in thought as he had been, if not more.

And unbeknownst to him, just as suddenly as he looked up, she came to a decision.

She moved too quickly for him to make any objections - she stood, then bent down to retrieve her backpack and swung it over her shoulders. Still going at a fast pace, she grabbed _his_ backpack (which also contained the groceries, after he'd offered to carry them), and next, she grabbed Shu by his wrist and plucked him out of his chair. And finally, she started running.

Shu managed to yell, "Kluke, where are you going?!"

She laughed, breathlessly and cheerfully. It had been so long, so terribly long, since he heard her laugh like that. He hadn't realized how much he missed it. "Does it matter?" she called back over her shoulder.

They started to reach the town outskirts. Up ahead, he could see that the road changed from a cobblestone path to a dirt road, the buildings on each side replaced with flowing grass.

Still, he felt he needed to object, however slightly. "But- but what about-"

Once again, she laughed. "Listen to you, all nervous! What happened to my daredevil Shu?"

He sucked in a breath quickly. _Her Shu..._ His heart started to beat a little faster.

They ran, reaching the hills where there was no path, but still running, grass bending under their feet.

Shu watched her as she pulled him along, her hair blown by wind that rushed past them. She looked so... free. Happy. Happy to be with him. Maybe he had been wrong about all of it.

She pulled him along - her hand felt warm and soft around his wrist. It felt like it belonged.

Shu decided that he didn't really care where they went after all - as long as Kluke was there, that's where he wanted to be.

* * *

Omake:

"AAHH!!!" "OCHICHI-SAMA~!!"

Noi groaned, resting his head in his hand, unwittingly pushing up some of his hair as he did so. "_Why_ did I agree to stay here and look after these two?..."

**... And it's done! :D That actually turned out much better than I thought it would. Writing this was very difficult for me; I had a lot of trouble fitting in the Shu x Kluke, as I often do when I'm writing that pairing during Tenkai no Shichi Ryuu. I suppose that's because of their changed relationship in Tenkai... I don't know what happened in the last episodes of the first season, but I know that Shu and Kluke seem to act differently around each other in the second season, so something must have happened between them to change their relationship. I'm worried that I might have interpreted things wrong... But if I did, I'll come back and fix it later, presumably after I've watched those episodes and seen what my error was. I also thought I would throw in that little "omake" with Bouquet, Marumaro and Noi; since this was supposed to be an alternate episode 8, I thought it would only be fitting for them to make a short appearance. ;) Though I'm a bit worried (again) that the omake spoiled the mood... Also, I probably should have included Andropov somewhere, but I couldn't find any place to fit him in... Maybe he was spending time with the children in place of Kluke or something, or watching them until she got back. :P Anyway, I have a quick, but important thing to mention:**

**I'm thinking of just shortening the name of this collection to **_**Precious Memories**_**, but I'm not sure... I would really appreciate it if you could let me know what you think in your review.**

**Well, I believe that's my cue. XD Everyone, please review if you are able - I'd like to know what you thought of this oneshot. :) As I'm sure most of you know, I'm horribly late with all of my stories... And even when I'm not late with my others, this collection always moves slowly. However, I'm **_**still**_** going to try to aim for 10 hits. So, whether it be this story or another, hopefully I'll see you soon! :D**


	6. Lands Far and Wide

**Hi, guys! :) Wow… Four days ago was the day I joined two years ago. Sometimes it feels like it's been a long time, and others a short time. But it most certainly has been a wonderful time. :) There's a lot that I wanted to say... But I can't remember any of it. XD I've had this thing ready to go since the 16th, but so much happened between now and those four days that I forgot it all. That and I've been stressed out like you wouldn't **_**believe**_**. D: I'll deal with it, though. For now, review replies! :D**

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Don't worry; I'm fine now. (_Holiday Cheer_ was a lifesaver, An; I still can't thank you enough for it. Though I sent you a message about it, I still promise to do a proper review ASAP.) Very stressed, but overall fine. :) Thank you~! :D (_It's important, Jiro. :P After all, don't you count the time since you met Shu and Kluke?_) (_Jiro: Well, of course I do, but- Hey! Don't change the subject like that!_) It was wonderful, wasn't it (and still is)? :D *blushes* Aw, An... (_Jiro: Oh, boy. Here we go._) (_I can't help it. XP An is sweet. :)_) I'm still not all that happy with said certain fic, but I think I'm getting to the point where when I read it I don't cringe- well... Actually, maybe that's a bit of a stretch. XD But I've managed to become at least a little happy with the final chapters of it. *blushes again* I'm glad it helped; that's always been my hope. :D Mm. :) Yes, that's true... I think I'm in a partial one right now. XP (_Beyond _and _Yami no Himitsu_... Writing movement and such in between the action should not be this hard. D:) (_Don't give An a hard time, Jiro. XP_) I'm glad it wasn't just me; it made me think I was strange for being happy-but-not-exactly-happy about it. XD (_Jiro: You are... very strange._) (_I kind of take that as a compliment. :D_) Same here, although now I'm starting to like Andropov x Kluke much less than I did back then... I still sort of like it, but it's just not the same as what it was. :P (Somehow, though, I still manage to find a way to write about it, though. XD) I suppose I feel the same way. XD (_An's right, Jiro. :D_) (_Jiro: That's what worries me..._) (_What do you mean? :D *oblivious*_) (_Jiro: ..._) I _know_ I'm paranoid (just not only about Jiro); really, super paranoid. XD XD XD I know! I saw it, too! :D Oh... Don't worry about the translating, An. :) I know you've been busy, and I've been doing a bit on my own... Plus, you probably already know by now, but Corona started subbing season one (picking up for poor Star Fansubs) and a new translation has begun for Tenkai. (YAY~!) You're welcome. :D Can you believe we've hit six pages already...? I know; it's fantastic. (Gah, I want to find out what happens so bad... But take your time; write whenever you have the chance.) Thank you. :D (That thing was so hard to write...) A-aw, An... *blushes... again...* I know. XD Thanks. :) And thanks again; I went ahead and changed it now. I think I've updated a few times since then, but I definitely want to update _Beyond_ sometime soon; I've been planning what's in Chapter 18 since practically the beginning. ;) _Futari Kiri_ I'm having trouble with for reasons unknown to me... But I kind of have the first part sort of done, and when I can finally finish piecing it together, it'll eventually be uploaded (I have no idea when this will be). Third season...? Oh, _Fierruneru no Unmei_! (Great; now I'm forgetting my own stories. XD) While the final parts of it are doing well, the beginning has been very rocky; I'm having a lot of trouble with it - the most pressing problem is getting from "here" to "there" XP – so I'm really not sure when I'll be able to update it, though I'm certainly going to try. The Plus adaptation, _Remnants of the Ancients_, has finally been uploaded, and I'm quite pleased with how it's going so far – very unusual for me. XD I don't know when the next part will be done, since I have yet to start it, but I'm eager to get to work on it. The next chapter of _Maple Leaf_ will be very enjoyable to write, I think, though I haven't really started it; the next two chapters are really what I think of as the "origin" of the series, and I've wanted to polish up the prototype chapter I have of it for a long time now. Aw... Thank you, An! :D I'll try to; I'll try to do that, too; and I won't. :) And you take care, too. :)

**WindGoddess Rune:** Ah, it had been four months, but it certainly felt like a year... *sweatdrops* I don't know how to say this, Rune, but... I lost them! *wails loudly* I don't know why, but the site got rid of almost all my PMs! D: I think I still have one from you, but my inbox got severely gutted. I'm so sorry... :( It's my fault; I should've tried harder to make the time to reply. I never expected them to do anything like that, though... Anyway. In the future, I'll try to write back to you sooner. :(

**And replies are done! :) This next one is probably the happiest I've been with this series for a while... But instead of spoiling it, I'll just let you read it now. XD**

6. Lands Far and Wide

_**Five years ago...**_

The wind tousled her hair, blowing the strands from the side of her head in front of her eyes; impatient, the little girl pushed it back. They were coming close to the top of the cliff, and after walking so long, she was eager to see the view.

The two small children at last reached the top. Upon doing so, her two-minutes-younger companion - her best friend for almost all of her seven years - turned to see what it looked like and took a quick intake of breath at the sight. After a few seconds, she heard him murmur, "It's amazing..."

"It is." She agreed, near breathless. They had never walked so far in the village outskirts before, nor gone so high, and thus had never gotten to see so much.

It was astounding.

Miles of forest stretched in front of them; the tops of the ruins stood out like a white ship in a sea of green. Neither child, of course, had ever seen an _actual_ ship on water, but the drawings they'd peeked at gave them the gist of the idea. The two had always wondered how such a large forest managed to thrive in the desert, but as it offered them something new to explore, as opposed to long stretches of sand, they'd never questioned it. (Besides, maybe they'd learn the answer in school one day.) Beyond that, they could see the village; the houses were small, only visible by their clay or red-paneled roofs. The church, though, being so tremendously tall, was easy to spot. (Kluke involuntarily flinched, remembering that she had practice tomorrow. She disliked singing in the choir; while she enjoyed singing in itself, she was also relatively shy, and couldn't stand to sing in front of anyone who wasn't Shu or their younger friends.) There was a small gap of desert, ringing around the village. And past that were blue-gray-tinted mountains, enticing the girl and boy with all of the many places and sights that lay beyond them.

_Places we'll probably never get to see._ The boy sighed, unable to smother a hint of longing. "Kluke... Have you ever thought about leaving Talta?"

She shot him a slightly perplexed look. "What do you mean, Shu?"

"Not to leave for good," he said quickly; while he got bored doing the same things over and over again, not even he could stand to be away from Talta Village forever. The thought of it was simply unthinkable. "Just to, you know..." He struggled to find the words. "To... To go on an adventure!"

"An... adventure?"

"Yeah!" He nodded enthusiastically. "Like in the books. To see things we've never seen before... Plains, fields, marshes, big cities, castles... Oh, and the ocean!" His grin widened at the last one.

"The ocean..." Kluke said it dreamily. She'd always wondered what it would be like to see so much water - a whole _expanse_ of it, even. And to ride in a boat...!

"It would be great to travel like that..." Shu let out another wistful sigh.

A sudden, inexplicable fear gripped Kluke. What if... What if he _did_ try to go explore the world someday? Shu was always daydreaming of going on grand adventures, just like in the stories. To do great things and see amazing places...

Would there be any room for her in his plans?

Involuntarily, she spoke her concern. "What... What about me?"

Shu shot her a confused look. "What do you mean 'what about you'?"

Kluke swallowed; too late now. She'd already spoken, so there was really no believable way she could back out or say she'd meant something different. She could only tell him the honest truth. "In a lot of the stories we've read, it's often only one person... So... Would you take me, too, if you went somewhere?"

Shu blinked at her a few times, then laughed lightly. "Of course I would! Why do you even need to ask? I would never even think of leaving you behind!" He reached over and clasped hands with her; Kluke promptly blushed, unable to hide it. "We're best friends, Kluke! We'll always be together. And even the times that we're somehow separated, we'll still be with each other, in here," he gestured to his heart, then retook Kluke's hand. "And if we _are_ apart, we'll find our way back to each other someday. I promise."

Kluke smiled bashfully, nodding. "Okay. I promise, too."

* * *

_**Two years ago...**_

There were about five separate pebbles poking him in different parts of his back. It was, without a doubt, the most uncomfortable he could remember being in all ten years of his life.

It did nothing to douse his excitement.

"Psst. Kluke." A two second-long pause. "Kluke, are you awake?" He said it purely for courtesy's sake. He'd been listening to Kluke sleep for years, albeit sometimes in a different room - absentmindedly, he was grateful they'd stopped sleeping in the same bed after they turned five, since she tended to kick about halfway through the night, though she was always sure to tell him he wasn't any better - and he was well aware that Kluke wasn't anywhere close to being asleep.

"... Yes." She waited a little while, then said, "What's wrong, Shu?"

"... We're here."

"Huh?" She rolled onto her side, trying to search his face for an explanation. She'd been around him for years, and more often than not, Shu didn't make sense at the best of times, let alone the middle of the night.

"We're out of Talta. We're finally going on our adventure!"

"... Oh." Kluke said after a moment, at first a little stunned, but then starting to feel rather gleeful. "You're right."

"We'll go to castles and big cities. And we'll see the ocean."

"Yeah!"

"First rule about traveling, you two," a voice belonging to one no older than them, mixed with annoyance and dryness, spoke up, eliciting a yelp from both Shu and Kluke. "Go to sleep when it's time for bed, or you'll be dead on your feet in the morning."

"Right." Kluke flushed embarrassedly. "Sorry, Jiro."

"Yeah, yeah..." Shu muttered, irritated.

Silence stretched for about a minute. Then, the camp's stillness was permeated by the excited giggles of two ten-year-olds. The second boy let out an annoyed sigh, and rolled over partly to sleep - and partly to hide a threatening grin that was only barely held back.

* * *

_**Present.**_

She glances at the blue-tinted peaks topped with snow, feeling nostalgic and smiling in the same manner.

Well. She's seen the other side of them now, hasn't she?

But she's no longer on an adventure, and while she's seen many of the things she wanted to, she has seen much that she's had no desire to look upon, and what feels like not nearly enough of what she did want.

And Shu isn't with her.

That's... really, that's her fault. She couldn't tell him "yes", though. There is much beauty in the world, but there are many things that are also terrible. And she's had enough of seeing terrible things, and had enough of no longer seeing people. She wants no more of it.

And for that, her price to pay was him.

She lifts her hand for a second, stops. Then she presses it tightly over her heart, looking towards the mountains. "Wait for me..."

* * *

Many, many leagues away, a twelve-year-old boy stops walking and turns around. He stares at gray-tinted mountains and wonders if he's hearing things.

He decides that he isn't.

His three companions ask him about the sudden, soft smile that graces his face, and why he has a hand over his heart. He just shakes his head, smile deepening, and to their continued confusion, tells them he's waiting for someone.

… **And it's done! :D This one reminds me a bit of **_**For Every Year**_**… Just a whole lot shorter, and with Kluke instead of Jiro (and this could possibly hint at Shu x Kluke, while **_**For Every Year**_** is friendship). All and all, I'm pretty happy with how it came out. :) Oh, and An and Kat(95): I finally managed to get Jiro into this thing. :D**

**So, if you can, please review and let me know what you think! Updating is still up in the air; I was going to resume my updating style from before, but I have more stories than I did before and need to make note of the new ones on my profile… Even so, I may not go back to doing it that way (though I think that at some point, I will eventually resume the poll). Editing my profile will be the next step, though. Anyway, that's all for now. See you soon! :)**


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